


Under the Mistletoe

by EntreNous



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Aliens Make Them Do It, Except Instead of Aliens it was Demons, Holidays, Kissing, M/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-16
Updated: 2005-12-16
Packaged: 2017-12-08 00:03:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EntreNous/pseuds/EntreNous





	Under the Mistletoe

"Wait. We have to...what?" Xander asked weakly.

Giles glanced at the four nine-foot tall slimy horned demons that had surrounded and menaced him and Xander until they had backed them up under the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the archway. "Erm. Well. Kiss each other, apparently."

Xander lowered his voice in a conspiratorial manner even though Giles had already explained three times that the Phoradendri demons had extraordinarily sharp hearing. "And we're going to let them make us do this why again?"

"Because from what I can gather, they have demanded that we pay them respect after summoning them here, and that entails performing a traditional rite of a kiss below this mistletoe. If we kiss, they consent to leave. If we do not, they will force us to eat the mistletoe, and it will kill us," Giles answered.

"I thought you said before that mistletoe wasn't _really_ poisonous," Xander said. "When you were hanging it up, and I was stringing the popcorn, I said, 'Hey, be careful of the mistletoe, it can kill you,' and _you_ said --"

One of the Phoradendri growled, and Xander gave a nervous bark of laughter.

"Normally, you would be correct," Giles said. His voice was calm, even though one of the Phoradendri demons was now breathing hotly on his neck. "Touching the berries can sometimes produce a rash, but the plant itself is not truly harmful to humans, though it is commonly known as the vampire of parasitical plants, given its tendency to--"

Two of the demons made hissing sounds, and Giles hurried on. "Yes, generally mistletoe is not actually deadly. But this particular type of rare mistletoe branch that Willow picked up at the Saturnalia festival apparently not only summons demons, but also has the capacity to kill humans who ingest it."

Xander looked at the sprig hanging above them with wide eyes. Then he shook his head. “Hey, but I still don’t get why should we have to . . . you know . . . when I don’t get how we even summoned these guys in the first place.”

“Apparently it had something to do with the combination of the mistletoe being hung, the act of popcorn being strung, cider being mulled, and the general proliferation of holiday cheer,” Giles explained. “And I don’t see why this should be so very distasteful to you,” he added. “All we have to do is touch our lips briefly, and the demons and the threat they bring will no longer be an issue.”

Xander frowned and put his hands on his hips. “You know, Willow and Buffy _would_ pick the time just before the demon summoning to go on an eggnog run. If they were here, Buffy could just hustle them out the door. Or, hey, the demons could make Buffy and Willow be the ones who have to make out, and then . . . and then . . . and . . . then . . .”

Xander’s mouth fell open and his eyes became dazed. Giles cleared his throat twice before speaking. “Xander, are you quite all right?”

“If we’re going to have to kiss . . .” Xander licked his lips and leaned forward. “Now would probably be a really good time.”


End file.
